


The Turning Point

by Pixial



Series: On The Road [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Death, Poison, Spiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 05:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6410671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixial/pseuds/Pixial
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An end of childhood, home, and a bit of self.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Turning Point

_This is a bad idea,_ he thought as he carefully shifted his weight on the branch of an old oak tree. Ten feet below him was his target, one of the largest bucks he had seen in a couple of years. _Not that I’ve seen a lot of game lately._ Keir peered down, judging angle and timing he would need to make this very stupid plan succeed. Still, he wasn’t armed with anything beyond a simple hunting knife and a broken bow (there was an incident with a rock and a rabbit that Keir was still loathe to think about).

His plan was easy in theory. All Keir had to do was launch himself from his branch, land on the buck and kill it with the knife. Without breaking his neck. Or being skewered by the buck’s massive antlers. A piece of cake, really.

_If Lynnie finds out I’m doing this, she’ll skin me alive._ But he didn’t have a choice. He was already three days overdue back home and he still didn’t have any game to bring back. Prey had been scarce in the past year, and his hunting trips took him farther afield as a consequence. No one was sure what the reason was, but the section of the Eldeen Reaches Keir and his kin called home was slowly growing dimmer and hollow, as though the Gloaming itself was reaching its diseased essence through the woods. Uneasy tension took command of the air of the village of Brede. There was talk of packing up and leaving the village and settling further into the Reaches, but so far the talk amounted to nothing beyond disquiet murmurs between unhappy husbands and anxious wives.

The wind shifted. Keir emptied his thoughts of everything save the hunt and the strike. He pushed his dark hair out of his eyes and felt his mind click into that peculiar focus he held when he hunted. His senses sharpened and Keir became more than aware of everything around him. It was as though his very skin had eyes. The wind blew through the leaves and he heard his oak whisper a signal. His prey was in position, and a feral grin stretched itself across his face. The time to strike was now!

Silently Keir drew his knife and pushed himself off the branch in a fluid motion of savage grace. He landed astride the buck and slashed downward at the neck of the panicking creature. The buck tossed and screamed, but Keir stayed lodged onto its back like a bur. Keir ripped his knife from the buck’s neck and plunged it back in again. Keir leapt off its back, steering clear of its sharp hooves. As the animal slowed, its breathing became labored. It finally collapsed and became still, Keir surveyed his prize.

It really was a magnificent beast. The hide was still fairly intact, and there was enough meat to help ease the village larder for a couple weeks, if they used it sparingly and supplemented with foraged supplies. Lynnie had mentioned she found a nice cache of berry bushes in a clearing not too far from the village outskirts, and it was still the season for tasty nuts to be plentiful. Pleased with a job well done, Keir bent himself to the task of skinning and field-dressing the buck.

Half a day later, Keir had nearly reached Brede, his pack bulging not just with his buck but a couple of rabbits he had stumbled upon his journey home. He took up a bit of a swagger as he pictured how happy his parents and the rest of the elders would be. His hunting skills were a source of pride for the village, especially his father and teacher, who gave his knowledge to his son. Keir himself took great pride in the fact that he was trusted to be one of the main providers of food for the village, even at his young age of fifteen.

Unconsciously, Keir fingered the pendant he wore around his neck. It was a gift from Lynnie, his best friend and the girl he planned on marrying in the far off someday. Lynnie had insisted he take it before he left on this hunting trip, even though his birthday was a couple of days away. She had apparently purchased it from the last peddler who had managed to penetrate this far into the Reaches several months ago and couldn’t wait to give it to Keir any longer, and dragged him off to their tree “fort,” bouncing with glee as he unwrapped the dark, shimmering green-black stone. He ought to save a piece of antler and carve something pretty from it for her. Maybe a hair pin? She didn’t have many of those...

Keir stopped dead, his reverie shattered. Something was wrong, horribly wrong. He was almost in sight of the village, but the air seemed dark and tainted with an ugly sullen pressure. The trees, once a familiar comfort, now felt twisted and malevolent. Prompted by some inner instinct he dared not ignore, Keir moved off the main path and away from the entrance to the village. Keir put his hand on a nearby tree trunk and choked off a cry of dismay. The tree, an old rowan that had welcomed him like a friend his entire life now seemed to be hissing at him, trying to push him away.

Keir looked at the rowan and back at the walls of the village. Shoving his revulsion aside and ignoring the angry shrieks of the tree, he climbed high enough to see over the walls. What he saw made his jaw drop in disbelief and horror.

Webs, thousands of them, covered the houses. It was plain enough to see what caused them, there were dozens and dozens of black spiders the size of a pony strolled through the paths with not a single human in sight. The Gloaming’s disease had stretched and taken over the village Brede.

Keir only managed to stay quiet due to the shock that numbed his entire body. A war began within him. The sensible half of his mind screamed for him to run. Run far, far away and never look back. Everyone was dead and there was no point of putting himself in danger. The other half refused to believe it. His village, his family, Lynnie… They just couldn’t be gone! He had to go down there, sneak in and find them! But even if they were alive, how would he get in and get out without getting killed by the spiders? There were too many! He’d be devoured the instant he was spotted! But... he had to try! What else could he do?

Keir sat in tree, arguing with himself for what seemed to be an eternity but was probably closer to a few minutes. The end of the argument resulted with Keir screwing up his courage, readying his knife and climbing back down the now-silent rowan.

_This is a bad idea…_

Keir’s progress was agonizingly slow. He froze against the corner of the blacksmith’s shop as yet another spider walked by, its multitude of legs clattering on the packed dirt of the path. He waited until he was certain it hadn’t seen him, and then slipped inside. That was the fourth close call since he had entered the village. Apparently spiders didn't have keen eyesight, a blessing if Keir'd ever heard of one. Still, it was going to be a miracle if he made it all the way to the cottage he shared with his parents. They were on the west side of the village and the only entrance he could find open was the south gate.

Part of his mind wanted to run straight home and get his parents. Another wanted him to find Lynnie first. But he couldn’t do either of those things armed with just a knife, so he’d made his way to the forge. He looked around the shop, but there was nothing but a man-shaped cocoon in the corner. Keir swallowed hard when he saw that. He knew better than to touch it and alert the spiders to his presence. Grabbing a sword off the wall, he ducked back out, trying to push the cocoon from his mind and hoping he would find his family in better shape.

Carefully, he crept from house to house, making sure not to disturb any of the webbing. There were more of those sickening cocoons everywhere, and with each one he saw, Keir’s hope dimmed. But his da was a soldier! And a good one at that!! Surely these monsters couldn’t have taken him! He’d find both his parents and then go get Lynnie! He had to!

Finally, after an eternity of sneaking, Keir reached his home. It was less web-covered than some of the other houses, and his hope returned full force with an added bonus of pride. Of course it was safe! His da could protect his family from anything!

Keir dashed around back and entered the house, eager to see his parents. They’d grab some supplies, meet Lynnie at the fort, and then run for help. He headed straight for the main room and was greeted with what remained of two spiders, one of which had his father’s sword broken off in its head. Keir grinned at the sight. It was just like he thought. No way his da would allow these monsters to harm him and his ma!

The grin died, however, when he turned to the rest of the room and saw two more of those cocoons. “No…” he breathed. He walked towards them, heart plummeting down into his stomach. “No, no no no…” Before he could stop himself, he cut into the webbing of the smaller cocoon. A hand wearing his mother’s wedding band fell out. Tears sprang up in his eyes, chest tightening as a cold numbness filled his limbs. He wanted to scream, weep, run, collapse all at once.

Before his body could decide on which reaction to take, a piercing scream shook the air. The spiders knew he was there! Without thinking, Keir fled the house. He didn’t consciously know where he was going; all he knew was he needed to escape. Spiders came pouring out of the houses and down the streets, all of them intent on hunting him down.

Keir didn’t know how long he ran. It felt like an eternity and a single second combined and a grey haze coated his vision. When he finally stumbled to a halt, his legs no longer able to move, he realized with a shock that he was in front of the fort. It was completely obscured by spider webs. His already sunken heart fell further. Keir knew. He didn’t even have to check. Lynnie had been in there. Lynnie was dead. As if in emphasis, movement occurred towards the door of the fort. Out came a spider much larger than the ones chasing Keir. She was darker as well, and her beady black eyes glittered with promised cruelty. This was the Queen of the horde.

Keir dimly heard the horde scrabbling behind him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care as he stared at the Spider Queen. The grey haze darkened to red as the Queen filled his vision. Something snapped within him, like a broken cog sliding into place. He gripped his borrowed sword and a feral scream of rage tore through his throat. Keir leapt for the Queen.

The battle passed in a blur. Spider after spider came, and Keir cut them all down in his attempt to reach the Queen. A single thought drove him, relentlessly urging him on. This was her fault! She’s the one who had brought these monsters out of the Gloaming! She’s the one who led them to Brede! On and on he threw himself forward, finally breaking through the wave of drones.

The Queen launched herself onto him, and he felt a sharp pain on his left shoulder. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was avenging the death of all he knew. He brought his sword up and through the Queen’s abdomen and savagely sawed towards her head. Her screeching made Keir’s head pound and her legs writhed and clacked together as her blood spurted on him. It took an age until she finally stopped. Keir threw her off the sword and stood.

All was still. The only sounds were his own heavy breathing and beating heart. At his feet lay not only the Spider Queen but most of the horde as well. Where the rest had gone, he didn’t know and he really didn’t care. All that was important was the Queen was dead.

He turned to the fort and took a step forward before collapsing to the ground, crying in agony. The pain in his arm slammed through him and began to burn. The Queen had bitten him! Keir might have killed her, but her poison would finish him off. Keir would have laughed at the irony if he had the energy.

Just as he decided he was dead, that the pain was at its very worst, a warmth flowed through his body, beginning at his chest and down his left shoulder and arm. The pendant Lynnie gave him started to glow with a soft green light. The more its light pulsed, the more the pain dimmed. Keir didn’t understand how, but the pendant was curing him.

Now bitter laughter filled the air. Even after death, Lynnie was still taking care of him. With that thought came darkness and Keir knew nothing else.

When he came to, Keir sat up. The pain in his arm and shoulder was gone and in its place was an ugly, green, crisscrossing mark that crackled down the base of his neck and through his arm. It looks like even a spider’s bite leaves a spider web… he thought lethargically. The rest of his body ached from a hundred cuts and a thousand bruises. The spider scar was the only thing that didn’t hurt.

Keir forced himself to stand and he looked bleakly at the tree fort. Why even bother going in? She was gone. His parents were gone. Everything he had ever known was gone. So instead, he turned to face the deserted Brede. He couldn’t stay here. He probably couldn’t stay in this section of the Eldaan Reaches. If the Gloaming had spread this far, there was no telling where it would end up. Besides, just because the spider horde had fled didn’t mean they wouldn’t return.  
He decided to spend the rest of the day gathering supplies, and then he would head out. He had no idea where he’d go, but staying wasn’t an option. A brief spasm of guilt and grief flickered through his heart at the thought of looting the remains of his home, but he squashed it down. It wasn’t like the dead needed anything anymore.

Keir searched methodically, gathering was food was still good and as much gold as he could carry (not that there was much to begin with). He replaced his broken bow and grabbed a spare knife. He kept the slightly-battered sword but cleaned the spider goo from it. The part of him still feeling was sick at the callous looting of the bodies of friends and family, people he'd known his entire life. But they were gone, just broken, lifeless husks waiting for the forest to reclaim them.

Finally, he was ready to leave. He exited the southern gate and passed beyond the wall. After he had travelled some yards he stopped and turned back to Brede, removing his bow from his back. He took an arrow, wrapped it in an oiled cloth, and set it ablaze. Notching it to the bow, he took careful aim and loosed it over the wall into the village. After three more shots, smoke curled up from behind the walls and the tops of flames licked the wooden battlements.

It wasn’t a true funeral pyre, but it was the best Keir could manage. He watched the flames consuming his home for a moment, then turned his back and continued walking on.

He did not turn back again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the official backstory I gave the DM for our campaign.


End file.
